FaZe Clan and Cloud9 have drawn the Group B matches, and they will be facing Team Liquid and Astralis respectively. These are likely to be two epic combats, where four big banners meet in battle. Steel will be fighting on Team Liquid, but Astralis is still crippled with the loss of dev1ce. RUBINO will once again be playing in his place. The odds favor a sure win for FaZe. Read on to learn why.

Cloud9 Vs Astralis

We missed Cloud9 at the Finals of Season 6 of the ESL Pro League, but they’ve made it to the group matches of this season’s ECS. Cloud9 have played forty eight offline matches, winning twenty nine of them, thus giving them a win rate of sixty percent. Astralis, with RUBINO playing instead of dev1ce, have participated in five LAN matches, winning just one. Astralis’ current win rate with their present roster is therefore just twenty percent. If we go by these stats, Cloud9 have a seventy five percent chance to win against Astralis.

What are these teams’ best maps?

Cloud9 have a seventy five percent win rate in Mirage, which they could certainly be said to dominate. They have a sixty nine percent chance of dominating in Train, and sixty six percent in Cache. They are also good in Cobblestone, with a fifty seven percent win rate. They also have a fifty percent win rate in Inferno. Overpass is their worst map with a win rate of just twenty eight percent.

Astralis, in contrast, have only managed to win a single match in Train with dev1ce missing, which is a devastating statistic in itself. The single match that they won was against Luminosity Gaming.

Astralis will have to learn to adapt against Cloud9

Astralis has lost badly against FaZe Clan and Fnatic with their present roster, and even against HellRaisers and Team Liquid. However, either team could win here, so be wary of betting on this combination.

Sure Wins in the ECS – FaZe Clan Vs Team Liquid

FaZe Clan have the best chance to not only qualify for the playoffs, but to win this event. They have played fifty nine offline matches, and won forty of them. That statistic gives them a sixty eight percent chance of winning a match. Team Liquid have played nine matches with steel on their roster, winning four of them, which gives them a win rate of forty four percent. FaZe Clan thus have a sixty percent chance of winning against Team Liquid. Both teams have faced each other with same rosters once before at IEM Oakland, and FaZe Clan defeated Team Liquid there with a massive difference in their scores.

What are these teams’ best maps?

Team Liquid has not done very well in any map with their current roster. The best they ever did was in Mirage and Cache, with one win and a loss in each map. Yet even those winning matches were won in overtime, and that against Gambit Esports and Renegades.

Compare that with FaZe Clan’s incredible mastery across almost all the maps in CS:GO. Yes, they’ve had setbacks against SK Gaming, but there they faced a battle of equals. That’s not what they face here. FaZe Clan’s single weakness is Cobblestone, and even there they generally put up a difficult fight against the best teams. In the rest of the maps FaZe Clan are incomparably better than Team Liquid’s current roster.

This match is the pick of the day, with a sure win for FaZe Clan

This match is the most certain of sure wins for FaZe Clan. Currently, Team Liquid have no chance of winning against FaZe Clan, because taking steel on has disrupted their team meta, rather than strengthening their team. Even at their best, they could never have won against the present FaZe Clan. Perhaps Liquid will be back next year, better and more lethal than ever before, but for now, the odds are running at 1.31 on FaZe Clan, so put up a massive stake here, and have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

These are the most carefully formulated match predictions, by analysts who thoroughly study team histories and playing styles. Stay tuned for more match-by-match analyses and predictions for this event. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest on your favourite Esports titles.